


The Tryst

by Anonymous



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: ??? with Benefits, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everyone is of age, Kinktober 2020, M/M, Mild Smut, Pining, Submissive Cloud Strife, Turk!Cloud, collaring, dominant zack fair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:33:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: SOLDIERS and Turks aren’t supposed to mix business and pleasure, but Zack and Cloud can’t help themselves.Clack PWP/Turk Cloud/Canon Divergence AU.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 19
Kudos: 114
Collections: Anonymous





	The Tryst

The apartment building on the upper plate is clearly one of the more expensive residences in this area; Tseng had not lied, when he casually stated that Turks are more well-paid than SOLDIERS.

 _Even though we’re the ones doing the dirty work_ , Zack thinks, recalling the last mission, which had left him covered in Zolom entrails. Though, he supposes, it is simply a _different_ type of dirty work.

A large chandelier dangles over the high ceiling of the lobby, casting afternoon light into prismatic patterns on the pale marble floor. It is not unlike the interiors of the Shinra building: spacious, imposing, cold. Zack gives Yaro, the reception guy, a two-fingered salute and a warm smile, before sauntering towards the elevator. Yaro can be trusted to be discreet—well, at least to the extent that his pockets are lined with Gil.

Of course, it also helps that most people are terrified of the Turks. He’d seen the way they parted nervously for one, on the upper and lower sectors alike.

Such is their reputation. Known more formally as the Investigation Sector of General Affairs, their operatives carry out various covert assignments on behalf of the company, legal or otherwise.

Be that as it may, Zack doesn’t share that same apprehension. He’s met enough Turks to understand that they’re just as human as anybody else.

The sleek metal doors open with a pleasant ding, and Zack navigates a familiar winding path of hallways until he reaches the right apartment. His knuckles rap on the entrance with a series of soft knocks; the ones which signal that it’s him. No answer comes right away, as if the occupant is preoccupied.

What Zack sees as the door opens is not what he was expecting—blood. The sight makes him panic.

“Shit, what happened? Are you okay? You’re bleeding.” His worried hands fly up to his lover’s face, not caring about the crimson staining his gloves.

Cloud blinks, then narrows his blue eyes slightly. “The blood’s not mine. And you’re _early_.”

Zack’s hand drops, smearing a red trail on a spot of Cloud’s jaw that was previously clean, as the blond turns to walk inside. He follows, nudging the door shut with a kick of his boot.

He’s used to this kind of attitude. There’s something impenetrable about Cloud, despite permitting all kinds of physical intimacy between them otherwise.

Still, he sees through the barrier. Noting the way that Cloud’s hands shake as he washes them in the bathroom sink. The water fades to a pink tint after his face is scrubbed clean.

“Let me help you with that,” Zack murmurs, grabbing a small towel and pushing aside Cloud’s hands to monopolize the running water for a second. He catches the scowl looking at him from the mirror but ignores it; instead rubs the warm terry cloth against a golden spike with reddish tinges at the tip.

“Bad day?” he offers.

“You could say that,” Cloud mutters. But he relaxes into Zack’s warm touch, which cradles his jaw carefully while wiping away the stray spots of red. Eyes closed, his face looks more unguarded. Devoid of its customary hardened look. _Almost too pretty to look threatening_ , he muses.

He’s not a fool. Cloud is no less dangerous than he is. But it’s hard to think of him that way, not with the arrangement they have, not when he allows Zack to have complete control during their trysts.

It's as if a switch goes off, and the unyielding, reserved Cloud is supplanted by a lustful, obedient one.

And yet, neither of them are the real Cloud. The realization of that makes Zack ache, in a manner that is equally brooding and hopeful. _I’d like to meet him someday,_ he thinks. Perhaps with enough time, he would break down the invisible walls between them.

For now, all they have to bare is skin, instead of secrets.

Long ago, he left home to pursue a dream. Tried to become someone important, the kind of person who would leave behind a legacy. A hero. Only to find out that he’s nothing but a weapon, manipulated to further someone else’s goals. Shinra’s weapon.

He remembers the first time he cut down a man. And how he numbed himself to it, after the hundredth time. 

_Some hero._

Zack gazes down into those enigmatic eyes with a seriousness that he rarely shows to others. “Hey... look... I’m all ears, if you need someone to—”

He’s interrupted by Cloud abruptly smashing his lips against his own. Curling a hand around the back of Zack’s neck, pushing it down towards himself.

Melting into the heat of the kiss, Zack loses his former train of thought. Instead, he thinks about the edge of Cloud’s slender nose nudging into his cheek. The coy tongue darting to touch the tip of his own before flicking away, teasingly.

It’s not fair when he does that. Avoiding his attempts at connecting deeper. But Zack falls for it every time, nearly. _It has to mean something to Cloud,_ he thinks. Getting caught would result in serious consequences for them both; a troubling risk that his mind banishes in favor of desire.

The forbidden longing tastes...

Bittersweet.

Pulling away from his lips and leaning in next to Cloud’s ear, he whispers, “Nice try, Strife. But I’ll get you to talk, one of these days.”

“Can’t, _Fair_. It’s classified,” Cloud deadpans.

Kunsel likes to say something that is tacitly acknowledged in most circles: _a Turk can’t be trusted_. They’re company men, devoted to the tasks asked of them—regardless of how unsavory or duplicitous they might be.

Ironically, Kunsel would probably make a better Turk than a SOLDIER, since he appears to know things before anyone else knows them. Perfect guy for espionage. Lately, he’s been dropping hints as if he knows about Zack’s clandestine meetings, but at least his buddy is someone who can keep a secret.

Zack just evades the prying questions, though his nervous neck scratching probably gives him away entirely.

Cloud is far more careful than he is, a fact that the Turk usually expresses with frustration and a roll of his eyes, or worse, a scolding.

It’s been said that the Turks are loyal to their own, and no one else. Zack doesn’t believe that.

Pressing him against the wall, Zack’s right hand slips out of its glove, and inside Cloud’s immaculately tailored black blazer. Fingertips drag slowly upward, underneath the suspenders, until they graze the tender bit of raised flesh through the ribbed fabric of his turtleneck. A dark expensive suit is the trademark feature common across all Turk attire, but the idiosyncrasies of this one curiously resemble his own uniform.

The brush of his fingers, as light as it is, results in a flushed face and a bitten lip, and a nearly inaudible sound coming from Cloud’s throat. He knows just how to touch him to get that kind of reaction.

“You mocking me again, pretty boy?” Zack grumbles, a rough edge to his voice. “I should punish you for that.” His fingers continue to brush against the sensitive flesh, and Cloud’s lips part involuntarily from the pleasure it gives. Zack takes the opportunity to push his tongue into the open mouth.

These are the games they play.

The blue in those inviting eyes become alight at the way he says the word _punish_. He trails his hand back down, confirming exactly how aroused Cloud is already.

“So punish me, then.” There’s nothing aloof in Cloud’s tone now; only a deep sense of want and anticipation, with the haziest trace of a taunt.

And yet, all he can do is praise the way that Cloud uses his mouth to please him, supplicant and on his knees. Strokes Cloud’s cheek softly as he leans forward to take Zack in, “You’re so beautiful like that.”

He means it. It began as something out of lust and curiosity, and gradually he became aware that his feelings had evolved into something more. Thoughts of Cloud fill his mind when they are apart. His biting sense of humor. The unseen weight that he carries on his shoulders. The preciousness of the rare, fleeting smile. In another life, he thinks, they might have started out as friends. 

Cloud fumbles clumsily undoing his uniform, exhaling in mild aggravation as Zack chuckles. There’s something charming about his flustered state; a crack in the composure of the usual bravado. Tossing the pauldrons and belt beside the bed irreverently, Cloud slides a hot hand along his bare chest.

Zack tries to be gentle when they fuck. It irritates Cloud, he knows, who does not like the reminder that he’s not mako-enhanced like Zack is.

He leaves bite marks on Cloud’s shoulders as he thrusts into him, his teeth skimming the back of Cloud’s neck, as the body underneath coils deliciously against him. The equal roughness and tenderness of their encounters is both expected and unexpected. Clamping a hand over Cloud’s breathless mouth, Zack shushes him soothingly.

“Sometimes,” he says. “I regret joining SOLDIER. You’re not missing out on much.” The response that escapes onto his grip is a sound somewhere between huffy indignation and unbridled moaning.

It was Kunsel who informed him that the newest Turk recruit had once been a little helmeted trooper, with the somewhat rare distinction of failing the SOLDIER exams multiple times. One who also happened to be a very avid member of Zack Fair’s fan club. That fact alone had piqued his interest, and he hadn't missed the unmistakable blush across Cloud’s face at their first introduction.

Flattering, considering that he is the least famous of the Firsts. Brow creasing, his thoughts drift to a darker place. With Genesis having recently defected...

If Cloud knows anything of the chaos currently surrounding SOLDIER, he gives nothing away. Not in a flinch, nor a shift in his gaze. It’s yet another example of the compromising situation posed by being together. Turks, more often than not, are the ones sent to clean up Shinra’s messes. And bury the evidence.

_And this? This is one hell of a mess._

No.

He doesn’t want to think about this right now. Not with Cloud underneath him, vulnerable in all ways but one.

“On your back,” Zack orders softly. “I want to see your face when you come.” He has seen it before, of course. The shyness of it. He ponders, if beneath the surface, if that is a glimpse of the real Cloud.

It’s an odd thing, that he allows Zack to dominate him in the bedroom. Outside of it, Cloud is the one who calls the shots. Arranging their meetings, setting the terms. Denying him when he feels like it.

Some days, he wonders if it’s just Cloud playing hard to get. If it’s all just a game to him. Or if he possesses the same yearning, the same conflicted feelings.

“Tell me who owns you,” Zack whispers hotly. 

“You,” Cloud answers, shuddering from the sudden penetration.

He jerks the chain connected to the black collar around Cloud’s neck. “Say it again.”

“You,” and it comes out more like a restrained whisper. Cloud’s eyes flutter shut as Zack thrusts harder, and his mouth welcomes the thumb that presses in to caress his teeth.

Zack leans down, brushing his lips against the delicate jaw. Worshipful in the paths he traces along the fair-skinned neck, pressing a kiss behind an ear.

He can tell Cloud is close, the way his breath quickens into a sweet staccato. It’s tempting to withdraw his movements, just to draw a tormented whimper out of him. Make him beg for it.

Instead, Zack strokes him at the same pace that his hips drive forward, enjoying the inhibited sound that catches in Cloud’s throat. His own voice comes out in low grunts.

A droplet of sweat rolls off his neck onto Cloud’s ivory skin. He must hail from some cold region, with his pale northern looks. But Cloud avoids answering such questions, as always. “Zack,” he says between breaths, and it’s a plea.

“You can come. Come for me.” His voice is low, tender.

And Cloud does, after being granted permission; the relief visibly spills over the taut lines of his stomach, an exquisite look of agony permeating his comely features.

Zack follows soon after, spreading the evidence of their coupling against the blond’s navel with the flat of his palm. It is a ritual that marks Cloud as his, even if only within the confines of their arrangement.

Tensing slightly from the gesture, Cloud stares up at the ceiling. The bite is back in his tone, after the momentary bliss has worn off. “I’m showering first.”

“You okay?” He carefully undoes the collar around Cloud’s neck. The skin underneath is reddened, but nothing that would require healing materia. Zack holds his chin in place, searching Cloud’s face for an answer.

“I’m fine,” he says dismissively. Cloud allows his touch to linger a bit longer than usual, before twisting out of his grasp. Back turned towards him, he slips on a white robe.

There’s deceit in the reply, at least in the weariness of its delivery. Something is bothering Cloud still, in a way that unsettles him. Though Zack doesn’t expect any real answer, he can’t help but try. “You sure?” he asks gently.

“I can take care of myself,” Cloud reminds him, a bit icily.

Cuddling is off the table. Zack resents having agreed to that, just a tiny bit. Still, sometimes they might lay in the afterglow, while he traces lazy lines down Cloud’s back. Watching the flush of his body return to normal, as their breaths slow steadily. Asking questions and receiving reluctant answers, or none at all.

For now, Zack will take what he can get.

  


**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some kinky Clack for Kinktober, but idk I can’t write anything super smutty right now, so this is what evolved out of that? I hope that it’s not disappointing.
> 
> [kaoRemake’s AU scenes](https://twitter.com/kaorismash/status/1282420215700090880) and [incredible renders](https://twitter.com/i/events/1285086073270398976) were the inspiration for the clandestine lovers theme here!
> 
> You should also check out [Hrelic9’s take on the same AU.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25252267/chapters/61216600) Very vivid and engaging writing style, and excellent Clack smut!
> 
> Thanks to Prurient_curiosity for the advice on Rating level.
> 
> * * *
> 
>   
> As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. ❤️ I enjoy chatting about these characters, FF7, ideas, fanfic, and writing, so don't be afraid to share your thoughts!
> 
> Kudos are always appreciated too.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> [Other stories.](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=creators%3A+anonymous+summary%3Akbd&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&tag_id=Compilation+of+Final+Fantasy+VII)


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